Summit Lake

It is unlikely a person will trigger an avalanche in the Summit Lake area today. That doesn't mean it's impossible. It will still be important to practice safe travel habits, traveling one at a time in steep terrain and watching partners from safe spots outside of avalanche runout zones. As always, be prepared to make adjustments to your plans and move to simple, low-angle terrain if you notice any warning signs like shooting cracks or collapsing.

______________________________

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

PFD PSA: For the procrastinators in the crowd.... The PFD application deadline is fast approaching on March 31st!  Please consider a donation to the Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center via Pick.Click.Give when filling out your application this year!  Every dollar helps cover weather station maintenance, safety equipment, research projects, and ensures professional, daily avalanche advisories all winter long for your favorite backcountry ski and snowmachine zones on the Chugach National Forest and Chugach State Park. THANK YOU!

It has been nearly a week since we last saw any avalanche activity in the Summit Lake area, and it seems the weak layers we've been dealing with for the past few weeks have entered a dormant period. It's always tricky going to Low danger with known persistent weak layers, but we're at the point where it appears very unlikely a person will trigger an avalanche. That will change whenever we see a significant wind or snow event, or when temperatures warm enough that we start seeing snow surfaces melting in the heat of the day. That is unlikely to happen for the next few days.

If you are taking advantage of the decent surface conditions and relatively stable snowpack to get into steep terrain, it will still be important to practice safe travel habits. This includes traveling one at a time in steep terrain and keeping eyes on your partners from safe spots outside of runout zones. It also means having an exit route planned in case you end up finding that unlikely pocket of unstable snow that could produce a small avalanche.